


The Courage of Stars

by somebodysmuse



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: A litte angst, AU Where Dipper takes Ford's apprenticeship, Pines Family Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-05-25 10:45:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6192016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somebodysmuse/pseuds/somebodysmuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been nearly three years since Dipper accepted his Great-Uncle Ford's apprenticeship and said goodbye to his sister. Now, his sister is returning to Gravity Falls for the Summer and Dipper has a chance to rebuild the bridge burnt by their years apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dipper nervously tapped his fingers against the windowsill. He glanced at the time on his phone, it was just two minutes to two thirty. Any second, she would arrive.

There had been plenty of plans made for Mabel to return to Oregon for a spell, but, whether it was because of cheer camp, a performance, or a final, the plans always managed to fall through. Because of these things, it had been nearly three years since Dipper had last seen his sister.

Since then, Dipper realized, Gravity Falls had become more of his home than California ever was. Accepting Ford's apprenticeship after his thriteenth birthday was one of the best decisions he'd ever made. He was surrounded by all of the things he was truly passionate about. And every night, after he and Ford had tackled mutant insects or overthrew alien warlords, he got to come home to the Mystery Shack and hear Stan talk about all of the tourists he had tricked that day while Ford tried his best to act annoyed. (Dipper knew that Ford secretly loved hearing about his brother's exploits. And after surviving the literal apocolypse together, there was no way that Ford was going to have Stan leave the shack like said he was going to all those years ago.)

So, more or less, everything was perfect.

Save the fact that he was away from his best friend.

He and Mabel hadn't spoken much since their first Christmas apart; they texted regularly, but it was mostly the two of them sending pictures of what they were doing. Dipper would send her a picture the alien nest he and Ford had raided. Mabel would send back a picture of herself and two other girls on the cheer squad. Dipper was far more amazed at the images of Mabel's life, and those told him more than his sister herself did. From what he gathered, she had already been to Prom twice (once with the Vice President of the Drama club and once with the treasurer of the Art Club,) spent nearly every Friday night in the Fall and Winter cheering the Piedmont High School Thunderbolts to victory alongside her fellow cheerleaders, co-directed and acted in a mini-series of Shakespeare's best pieces, and, of course, made more friends than Dipper could count.

After his fourteenth birthday, Dipper had started to worry about Mabel starting her freshman year. Before he could fret too much, however, his phone would vibrate and he would see a picture of Mabel, in her cheer uniform, grinning and waving at a crowd of screaming fans. Or of the boy who played Romeo with his arm around her shoulders. Or of her prom dress. Or of the art project that won third place at whatever art festival the art club had decided to attend. Those would remind him that Mabel was doing just fine.

Now here he was, roughly a month away from turning sixteen, his heart beating far too quickly as he waited for his sister to return home.

No, not home. To Gravity Falls. His home.

"Are you alright?"

Dipper turned away from the window and towards Ford. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"She should be here soon, and we both know that it's not like Stan to be completely punctual."

Dipper managed a smile. "I know. I'm not worried about that."

Ford took a deep breath. He wasn't any good at this type of thing. It had been three years since Dipper had accepted his apprenticeship and the two had been nearly inseparable ever since. They understood each other, they were so alike, despite the difference of age between them. It hasn't always been that way, of course, the bond had to build itself, and the first few months were filled with mostly-silent monster hunts, but eventually, while they were picking crucial alien bone marrow off of a carcass or stealing eggs from monster's nests, they started to talk.

This, however, was the topic Ford could never bring himself to talk about. Dipper's sister, his great-niece. It wasn't that Ford didn't like Mabel, in fact, he was very fond of her. She was effervescent and sweet, she shone like a brilliant star. That was, of course, what kept Ford at such a distance. Because Mabel was like Stanley, she wasn't socially inept, she didn't bury herself in her research, she was so in love with life, with her life. She and Stanley were everything that he wasn't. How could Ford possibly understand her as well as he did Dipper?

There was also that guilt that had made a home in his gut since that first summer three years ago. Mabel was boarding the bus that would take her back to California and she could barely meet his gaze.

"It's just...it's been almost three years, you know?" Dipper finally said, pulling Ford out of his thoughts. "I haven't seen her for more than four days at a time since..."

"I know." Ford said, nodding his head.

Then, as if on cue, Stanley's old car drove forward and parked in front of the Mystery Shack.

"Oh, geez." Dipper breathed before he could stop himself. 

Stop freaking out. He told himself as he and Ford walked outside.

Stan got out of the car first, a pink, glittery backpack slung over his shoulder. He walked to the other side of the car and opened the passenger's door...

A pink cardigan and white tee shirt. Sneakers patterned with sunflowers. A purple duffel bag. Long dark hair tied back with a white ribbon.

And a smile.

"Dipper!" Mabel cried, running up the porch steps.

Dipper breathed a sigh of relief and opened his arms, trying desperately to make up for three years worth of lost hugs in just one embrace.

"How's my favorite bro-bro?" She asked, finally releasing him.

"Great. Just great." Dipper answered, and meant it.

"And Grunkle Ford!" Mabel went on, approaching her second great-uncle.

"It's nice to see you, my dear." He said with a kind nod of his head.

"There's no need to be so formal. It's just me, your Mabel." She reminded him with a shrug.

Dipper felt his heart lift; it really was just Mabel, his sister was still his sister, despite the passage of time.

"Gosh, I swear this place hasn't changed at all." Mabel marveled as they went back into the shack. "I'm glad the family business is still going strong." She went on, elbowing Stanley.

"As long as there are gullible tourists, there'll be a Mystery Shack." Stan informed her.

Mabel laughed. "Do you mind if I step out for a minute? I promised I'd call mom and dad when I got here." She asked, already reaching for her cell phone.

"Go ahead, everything's still where you left it." 

Mabel laughed again and stepped into the hallway.

"Alright, Wendy, Soos, and Melody will be here tonight." Stan told his brother and nephew. "I need you to run to the store and grab a few things..."

Ford rolled his eyes as he took the list from his brother. "Can't you shoplift all of this?"

"My niece is home. I don't want to spend any of this time running away from security guards." Stan answered. "Car keys are by the door. Hurry back, Sixer."

Ford rolled his eyes. "You coming?" He asked Dipper before he could fully turn around.

Dipper glanced at the hallway where Mabel was making her call. He really should stay...

But he'd see her again soon. He'd only be gone for twenty minutes. And he had the whole summer to catch up with his sister, right?

"Sure. Bye, Stan."

Stan waved and sighed as he watched them leave. Just as his car drove away, Mabel entered the kitchen again.

"Huh...is it just us?" Mabel asked, looking around the mostly-deserted room.

"Just for a little. They'll be back soon."

Mabel nodded, trying to keep her smile. Stan wrapped an arm around his great-niece and pulled her closer to him.

"It's good to have you back, sweetie." He said, kissing the top of her head.

Mabel smiled again.

"It's good to be back."


	2. Chapter 2

Dark curls and a yellow sundress ran past Stan as he stepped outside. With a smile, he watched a lengthy group hug between Mabel, Grenda, and Candy. Another reunion.

"So, you're like, the It Girl of Piedmont High School now." Candy said. Mabel laughed.

"Hardly. Tell me everything that's happeend to each other you for the last two years."

A few yards away, Dipper was still hanging around the edges of the yard. His hands were shaking.

It's just people. He told himself. It's just people you know. It's just a lot of people. It's just a party. Oh, God, it's a party. I'm at a party. I don't go to parties-

"Hey, stranger."

Dipper stifled his gasp and turned around.

"Wendy," He said. She laughed.

"Dipper!" She said back. "How've you been? How's genius training?" 

"F-fine. How's- how are you?"

"I graduated with passing colors." She informed him. "I thought you were going to end up joining me at the school, dude. You know, since you decided to stay."

"I- uh, well, genius training is pretty time consuming." 

Wendy laughed again.

"What about your sister though? Queen Bee of Cali."

Dipper glanced over at his sister, who was teaching Candy and Grenda a cheer stunt, something he heard her call an "Elevator."

"You know she might be head cheerleader this year?"

"Wait, really? How did you know?"

"Dude, Mabel and I talk all the time. She texted me all throughout her bus ride. She's really excited."

"Who's excited?" Mabel asked. Dipper's pocked vibrated, he glanced down at his phone screen.

FORD: That nest that we took eggs from may not have been entirely abandoned. Everything is probably fine.

"All this head cheerleader business." Wendy said, bumping Mabel's hip with her own.

"Yeah, kiddo, when do you find out about that?" Stan asked, joining the conversation.

"Am I the only one who didn't know that Mabel is head cheerleader?" Dipper wondered. For a moment, he wondered why this was so upsetting. Maybe it was that he was at a party after being in the company of only one other person for almost two years, maybe it was that Wendy was there, maybe it was that he felt that he should know about everything important in Mabel's life first. He was her twin brother, after all.

"I'm not even hear cheerleader yet." Mabel reminded them. "It'll probably go to a senior, or to one of the flyers. Back spots normally aren't leaders." 

"Why aren't you a flyer?" Wendy asked.

"Heights." Mabel said with a shrug.

"Uh, Dipper?"

"Ford," Dipper breathed, relieved. 

"Finally decided to join us?" Stan asked his brother, who was looking a little too worried for anyone's liking.

"Dipper, that nest I was talking about...we probably need to go return what we took right now, immediately-"

"Sixer-" Stan tried to say. His words were cut off by a rather loud buzzing noise.

Then there were the screams.

"Ah, come on, I just got back!" Mabel said before she could stop herself. Guests that hadn't had the chance to welcome her home scattered.

Then a giant shadow covered the yard. An abdomen, a pair of transparent wings, two antennae...

Ford snatched a lid from one of the trash cans and handed it to Stan. "Go by the door, hold this up..."

"You stole from a giant insect?" Stan yelled to his brother. The creature itself stopped, staring at the metal disk, not moving...

"That should keep it distracted for now, but it definitely wants its eggs back..."

Now that Mabel looked at the Insect (if you could call it that), she realized that it really wasn't gigantic, necessarily. Compared to some of the things she saw her first summer...it was just a flying bug the size of a boulder, hovering above the ground at least four feet over head.

Who was she kidding? It was a monster.

"It's vulnerable underneath, but how can we reach..." Ford mused frantically.

The insect hissed, a blatant sign that it was remembering what it came for.

"Ford, we have to move!" Dipper cried, almost panicking. Ford took off, standing directly beneath the Instect's stomach. Dipper grabbed his sister's hand and followed.

"Elevator..." He mused. He glanced over at Mabel. "How quickly can you teach a stunt?"

Mabel felt her entire being freeze.

"Dipper, I can't-"

"Mabel, you're the lightest one, come on, we need you to get up there. Once you're lifted, all you have to do is shoot-:

"You really don't understand, do you?" 

"God, Mabel, what's your problem?" 

"I don't stunt, alright?"

"Sixer, it's definitely getting tired of staring at the lid!" Stan yelled.

"Is this because of heights? Mabel, it's me and Ford? What's the worst that could happen? Would we let you fall?"

"Yes!"

The word rang out against the yard. The word echoed.

Dipper didn't say anything. He almost calmly ran to Ford.

There was a lift. Mabel wondered, for a second, if they had managed to impale the insect, or if there was some bullet they had used.

There was dark purple blood staining the grass.

Then the conversation replayed in everyone's head.

"Would we let you fall?"

"Yes." 

OoO

Roughly six hours later, Mabel was still awake.

It wasn't as if she didn't stand by what she said. She didn't feel bad about not helping Dipper and Ford with whatever...

She rolled her eyes at herself and left her bed. Her brother was asleep a few feet away, his back turned to her.

The kitchen wasn't empty when she went downstairs. Ford was leaning against the sink, holding a mug.

"Oh," She said before she could stop herself. "Sorry, I'll-"

"No, don't..." Ford started to say. "It's fine, really."

"I couldn't sleep." She explained. The statement didn't really sound like an explanation.

"I understand." Ford said, not sounding understanding. "Do you want tea?" He glanced down at his mug.

"I'm fine, thanks." 

There was silence again. To both of their surprises, Ford broke that silence.

"Mabel, my dear...what you said earlier, about...about falling...what exactly did you mean by that?"

Mabel was immediately annoyed. She tried to formulate something to say, something that was gentler than the truth.

But the truth was already out in the open. She may as well continue.

"Look, Ford, I'm going to be completely honest. First of all, we both know exactly what I meant."

Ford furrowed his brow. "So you really mean that? You honestly think that Dipper and I would have let you fall? You think Stan would have-"

"Oh, my gosh, no, it wasn't a literal thing, it was...it was entirely symbolic."

"I know that it's symbolic. My question still stands. Do you really believe that?"

"Yes." Mabel said, just as honestly as she had a few hours ago.

"But you know that any of us would do anything to keep you safe-"

"Ford, here comes the honesty train. I have oodles of evidence against that fact. Not concerning Dipper or Stan, but concerning you."

"Explain." 

Mabel took a breath. "Two years ago, you stepped out of that portal and immediately put Dipper and me in danger. Two years ago, you convinced my brother to keep a secret-"

The rift, Ford thought ruefully.

"And that just so happened to be the secret that could have ended the entire world. The best part of that is that I thought it was my fault. I thought, because I handed over your super-secret glass box, I was the one who brought on the apocolypse. I thought it was my fault. At twelve years old, I had that weighing down my conscious." She was twisting one of her bracelets around her fingers, pulling it tightly against her wrist.

"And then my brother took your apprenticeship. And I went home alone."

There was silence.

"I'm really trying not to be angry at you. I really tried not to start anything, I wanted this summer to be, you know, fine. But when you asked me to trust you...I just couldn't."

It occurred to Mabel that her trust was what brought Ford out of the portal in the first place. She shoved that thought to the back of her mind.

"I understand." Ford said, his voice low. Mabel willed herself not to feel guilty when she saw that he couldn't even meet her gaze. "I understand how you feel, now. Thank you for telling me this." 

Say something else. Mabel internally screamed. Tell me why you chose not to tell me about the rift. Tell me why you chose Dipper. Explain so I can understand, too. Tell me something that will make me feel so horrible that I can't even make eye contact.

After a moment, it became clear that neither of them were going to say anything else. Mabel turned and started to walk upstairs.

"Goodnight, Mabel." Ford told her. Just three syllables that were almost impossible to say.

"Goodnight." She answered. Two syllables. Even more impossible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. Sorry about the wait between chapters, and about the chapter itself. I wanted to introduce the conflict immediately, and I kind of wanted to portray Mabel in an angsiter way. Anyway, thank you for all of your kind words and kudos. I wish everyone the best of luck during Finals and exams. Leave comments and thank you so much for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

The Mystery Shack was in a state of tension, to say the least. Since Mabel's confrontation with Ford, the inhabitants of the house were living in a state of what the kindest person would call "shaky peace."

Most would simply call it "tension."

So the summer ticked past, this shaky peace prevailed for almost a week.

That was when Ford decided that he was skeptical of the new coffee shop in town and wanted to investigate, and when Stan decided that it would be good for everyone to get out of the house.

So, at 10:30 AM, Stan knocked on the attic door.

"Mabel, sunshine?" He called. The door opened, revealing a bed-headed Mabel.

"Good morning," she yawned. There was residual mascara lingering beneath her eyes. Stan realized that this was the first time he had seen her without makeup in almost three years. She looked younger, more like the Mabel he first met. More like the Mabel he had kissed goodbye before she boarded the bus home.

"Get dressed, pumpkin. We're investigating a paranormal happening."

"Thanks, but hard pass." Mabel said, starting to close the door. Stan caught the door just before it closed.

"Mabel Beatrice," he said, his voice abnormally firm, "I know that you're not exactly jumping at the chance to spend time with-"

"It's not that." Mabel said dismissively. "Just give me a bit to get ready."

Stan couldn't remember a time Mabel had dismissed him like that. 

"Mabel-"

Mabel wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Look at me, sweetie." 

Two pairs of brown eyes met.

"I've ruined the summer, haven't I?" She sighed. 

Stan mulled this over. Yes, Mabel's conversation with Ford had placed the shack in an attitude of frostiness, but Stan knew as well as anyone that all of the inhabitants of the Mystery Shack loved Mabel pretty much unconditionally. And frankly, if he had anything to say about it, this summer would repair itself quickly. He couldn't take another goodbye like the first one.

"Mabel, a literal apocalypse couldn't ruin your first summer here, for God's sake. A spat isn't going to wreck this one."

Mabel looked uncertain. "Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure. Get dressed, sweetie. Come monster hunting with your family."

Mabel nodded her head and smiled, hoping against hope that her Grunkle was right.

OoO

Their destination for monster hunting was a coffee shop. A cute one, at that, with tall windows and witty names for drinks scribbled on a blackboard above the barista's head. The shop certainly had a carefully-calculated vibe that was obviously hipster-ish without being too pretentious.

Ford and Dipper immediately found a way to discreetly slip down to the basement; that's where their paranormal-detection device pointed them. Mabel and Stan remained upstairs and were told to keep watch.

"I don't think that guy's writing." Stan whispered loudly, pointing at a disgruntled looking college student who was looking critically at his laptop screen.

"I don't think so, either." Mabel agreed, mostly because she could she the screen reflected in his glasses. He was looking at recipes.

"Will you be alright if leave you alone for a few seconds? I need the bathroom."

Mabel nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Alright, honey. Keep watch."

Mabel kept watch for about thirty seconds before her stomach started growling. Maybe skipping breakfast hadn't been the best idea.

She glanced at the menu. She could keep watch while drinking something. She walked to the counter just as the barista looked up.

And what a barista there was.

Mabel felt her eyes widen just slightly. Curls the color of caramel and sky-high cheekbones flattered his face, but nothing compared to his eyes. Beneath perfect eyebrows were two eyes of the purest, brightest diamond-blue.

"Why, hello." He said, smiling. "What can I do for you today?"

Mabel mimicked his smile. "Can I have a small...Chai Like What I See, please?"

"Sure thing. Would you like whipped cream?"

Mabel shook her head and watched him make the beverage.

"I haven't seen you around here." He said, looking back up at her.

"You haven't been open for very long." Mabel reminded him. He laughed.

"Point taken." He conceded. "But are you new here?"

"Not really," she said, wondering how to explain her situation. "It's a long story."

"Hey, I get that. I'm Isaac, by the way." He said.

"Mabel." She answered.

"Mabel. I like it." He said. She smiled. "And that smile...goodness gracious."

Mabel laughed. 

"Well, here's your chai, Mabel." He said, handing her a cup with her name scribbled on the side.

"Thank you. How much do I-"

Isaac held up a hand, Mabel stopped talking. "It's on the house."

"I can't do that," Mabel said. 

"Alright, then...how about we exchange your chai for something else?"

"What did you have in mind?"

He slid a piece of blank receipt paper and a pen across the counter. "Maybe your number?"

"That seems fair." She said, writing her cell number on the piece of paper.

"Thanks." He said, putting her number in his pocket. "Enjoy your chai, Mabel."

Mabel smiled again and sat back down at her table. Soon enough, she was joined by Stan again.

"Anything interesting happen?" He asked, sitting down.

"Nothing." She said.

"Mabel, sweetie, why is the coffee guy staring at you?"

Mabel discreetly glanced back at Isaac. 

"He's not staring." She said.

"Well, he's not anymore. Do you want me to punch his lights out?"

"Goodness gracious, no!"

Stan raised an eyebrow. "You sure nothing interesting happened?"

"I got a Chai latte." She said truthfully. Stan looked at the cup, specifically at Mabel's name on the side.

Before he could ask questions, however, Ford and Dipper returned.

"Just a grindelow that laid eggs." Ford said, flicking an eggshell off of his coat.

"Easily defeated?" Mabel said before she could stop herself.

"Child's play." Ford and Dipper answered together.

"Uh, Mabel?" Dipper said, furrowing his brow. "Why is the barista staring at you?"

"He's not staring." Mabel said, rolling her eyes.

"I already offered to punch his lights out. No dice." Stan informed his brother and nephew.

"Isaac doesn't deserve to have his lights punched out." Mabel said stoutly.

"His name is Isaac. The plot thickens." Dipper said, still staring at the barista.

"And he's perfectly sweet and nice." Mabel said, starting to sound defensive.

"Okay, geez, fine. He's an angel." Dipper said. Mabel rolled her eyes again.

All of her anger evaported when Isaac waved at her as she left. She just couldn't help but smile.

OoO

Two days later, Dipper entered the attic and saw Mabel far too dressed up for a Thursday evening.

"Uh, Mabel?" He asked. "What's going on?"

She turned away from the mirror and gave him her widest smile in almost a week and a half.

"I have a date." She said dreamily.

Dipper's eyebrows shot upward. "What?"

"Oh, don't look so surprised." She laughed, grabbing her purse on the way out of the attic. Dipper followed her.

"But- but Mabel-"

"But what?" She asked, practically dancing her way down the stairs and into the living room.

"But what?" Stan asked, joining them. "Hey, you look nice, kiddo."

"Thanks, Grunkle Stan." Mabel said, kissing her great-uncle's cheek. 

"Who looks nice?" Ford asked, emerging from the basement.

"Mabel's going out to do it right, right, right through the night, night, night." Dipper said dryly.

"I'm not going to hit up a club, bro-bro." Mabel reminded him. "It's just a date." 

"Wait, with whom?" Ford asked before he could stop himself.

"Isaac." Mabel swooned.

"The coffee guy?" Stan asked, as if talking about Isaac was like talking about a disease.

"Yes, and- he's here!" Mabel squealed.

Surely enough, exactly ten seconds later, there was a knock at the door, which Mabel answered.

"Hey." She said breathlessly.

"Hey yourself. You look lovely."

Mabel blushed. "You're so sweet."

Their conversation was interrupted by three throats being cleared all at once.

"Oh," Mabel said, leading Isaac inside. "Isaac, this is my twin brother, Dipper, and my great uncles, Stan and Ford. Dipper, Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Ford, this is Isaac."

"Hello, gentlemen." Isaac said, extending a hand towards Dipper. "I hope you don't mind my taking your sister and niece out for the evening."

Forced laughter filled the room.

"I'll have Miss Mabel home by ten-thirty?" He asked, glancing at the clock.

"Sounds like a good curfew." Stan said.

"I have a curfew?"

"Goodnight, gentlemen." Isaac said.

"Don't wait up." Mabel said, kissing both of her grunkle's and brother's foreheads.

And with that, Mabel was gone.

"Should we trust him?" Dipper said as soon as the door closed.

"We should have at least asked him a few more questions." Ford said. Despite the tensions between himself and his niece, he was still concerned and fretful about the events that seemed to be unfolding. His protective nature and love for Mabel saw to that.

"Ford, remember when I'd be grounded but had a date with Carla?"

Ford nodded. 

"Remember what I would do?"

"You would sneak out."

"Exactly. So if Mabel wants to see this guy, there's nothing we can do to stop her. We may as well be supportive. Besides, it's not like none of us saw this coming."

"I didn't." Dipper said honestly.

"Mabel's a charming kid and the sweetheart of Peidmont, from what Soos and Wendy tell me and from what Mabel lets on. Not only that, but she's almost sixteen. That big heart of hers is bound to beat for some kid."

"Her first boyfriend was a gaggle of gnomes." Dipper reminded Stan.

"Somehow, I think Isaac is more dangerous." Ford said almost ruefully. 

"All of this is just part of growing up." Stan said. "And if she gets her heart broken, we'll be there for her. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Dipper and Ford chorused.

"Alright. But can we talk about how he was wearing enough cologne to shame a department store?"

The three enjoyed the rest of the evening picking apart Mabel's date, barely concealing their worry.

OoO

She had told him everything. Isaac was so easy to talk to, so attentive, so genuine. When he asked about her life story over dinner and about the apocalypse over a walk in his family's garden, she told him without hesitation.

"Your brother made you go home alone?" He asked at the end of her story. "Mabel, darling, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright." She said with a shrug. 

"No, it isn't. I can't believe he would abandon you like that, especially after everything you went through."

Mabel shrugged again. 

"And what your great uncle Ford did...I can't believe he took your brother away and kept the rift a secret from you. That guilt must have been unbearable."

Mabel started pulling all her bracelets again, pressing the thread and beads against her wrist.

"It must have been so lonely for you." He purred. "It must make you want to...to just cry." 

And all of a sudden, Mabel was crying. Her slender shoulders gently trembled, she hid her face in her hands.

"Don't look away." Isaac said. Mabel lifted her face towards his.

"Mabel," he said. "You have so much love to give."

She nodded.

"That sweet heart of yours is...it must be such a burden sometimes."

She nodded again.

"And all you want is for that burden to be...alleviated, in some way."

Isaac leaned forward.

OoO

At approximately twelve-forty-five that night, Dipper was still awake. Mabel had come home from her date with tear stains on her face and a smile. 

Whether or not this was a normal part of growing up, Dipper didn't trust Isaac.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my dears. I'm sorry about the wait, but here's the newest chapter! All of your comments on the last chapter were wonderful and I can't thank you enough. I'm sending all of you love and good wishes as you start the school year. Please leave kudos and comments.


	5. Chapter 5

"His royal highness, Christopher Rupert..." Mabel was singing softly as she spread strawberry jam over her bagel. Ford smiled and looked back down at the paper, not oblivious to the fact that he and Mabel were alone in the kitchen for the first time since their confrontation. He was happy just to stay quiet.

"Did you not have breakfast?" Mabel asked, to his surprise.

"Not yet," Ford answered after a small pause.

"Here," She slid her uneaten bagel across the table to her Grunkle, "I'm too excited to eat." 

Ford thought about protesting (Mabel had to eat, after all,) but eventually took what could have been a peace offering.

"Who's Christopher Rupert?" He asked, taking a bite of the bagel. Mabel had applied liberal amounts of melted butter and jam. 

"Who? Oh, of course." Mabel laughed. "Technically, it's Christopher Rupert Windimir Vladimir Carl Alexander Franscuoi Reginald Lancelot Herman Gregory James. He's the prince from the stage version of Cinderella, and he's giving a ball. We performed it for our school musical this year. I was one of the stewards, so I got to sing that song."

"That's quite a name to memorize." Ford remarked. Mabel laughed again.

"It was such a fun show." She said. "Lots of ballgowns, lots of dance numbers. And lots of cast parties." 

"So, why's it on your mind now? Just missing it?" 

Mabel smiled even wider. "Isaac's family is giving a ball. Well, it's a party, I guess. They call it a cotillion. It's for some charity that his mom works with." She slid a piece of shiny white stationary across the table. "See?"

The showy script was nearly impossible to read, but Ford muddled his way through. Something about an evening of dancing for the benefit of the less fortunate.

"That's lovely, dear. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time." 

"They invited all of us." Mabel said. "We're going to go, aren't we?" 

Ford's brow furrowed.

"Well, Mabel, we're not exactly...well, can you imagine Stan, or me for that matter, at a cotillion?" 

Mabel's lips slid into a pout. "But it might be fun." 

"It might be," Ford conceded, mostly for her benefit.

"So, you'll help talk to Stan about it for me?" 

Ford sighed internally. "I'll try. But one way or another, you get to go to a ball-"

"You're the best." Mabel said, pressing a kiss on her grunkle's forehead before gliding out of the kitchen.

Ford sighed externally this time. As glad as he was to have had a conversation with Mabel, he was nursing an unpleasant feeling in his gut. He wasn't worried about talking to Stan about the party, he knew that he would say no, Mabel would be slightly disappointed, but she'd forget all about it by the time Isaac came to pick her up.

And he had made some kind of peace, or at least gotten used to, his worries about Isaac. He put his fretful attitude down to his love for Mabel. He probably would have worried this much if it were any other boy, too.

Still, he couldn't help but feel like the prevailing peace between Mabel and himself was a product of something almost sinister. Other-worldly. 

In truth, he hadn't felt this uneasy since he began containing the infamous rift. 

He took a deep breath and shoved those feelings back to the side.

OoO

"Okay, what's going on with your sister?" 

Dipper looked up from his notebook and at a pair of dark brown eyes.

"Oh, hey, Wendy-"

"Dipper." She said seriously, sitting on top of the counter where his notebook sat. "What. Is. Going. On. With. Your. Sister." 

"I don't know, you're going to have to be more specific." Dipper answered, capping his pen.

"Every day since she left, Mabel's texted me or called me. She's told me pretty much everything about her life. As far as I know, anyway."

"Alright." Dipper said. 

"And she's been back in town for like, weeks and I've barely seen her, and the only thing she has to tell me is the latest news about this Isaac guy. And now, she's texting me and asking about my old Prom dress because she's wearing it to a ball-"

"A ball?"

"Okay, cotillion." Wendy rolled her eyes.

"You went to Prom?" Dipper asked. 

"Of course I went to Prom! Every teenager on the planet goes to Prom. That's not important, alright?"

"Then what is?" Dipper's pulse was elevated, he felt like his breathing wasn't quite in check. Those were never good signs. 

"Are you not a little bit skeptical of this Isaac guy?" Wendy finally asked.

Dipper sighed. "I've already done some investigations. As far as I know, he's just a kid from a wealthy family who happened to settle down in Gravity Falls. Nothing weird." 

"So you're not worried?"

"Mabel can take care of herself." Dipper said, opening his notebook again.

Wendy's eyebrows knitted together, but she said nothing.

"Tell Mabel that I dropped the dress off in her room." She said shortly.

Dipper tried to look back at his notes, but his mind kept spinning. He stood and walked to the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

He slid down the wall and sat on the linoleum, following his breath in and out.

He remembered Mabel saying something about a cotillion yesterday, and something about Stan laughing when she offered the rest of them invitations. Dipper hadn't thought much of it, it was just another night where Mabel would be with Isaac instead of them.

And maybe that was what bothered him. He hadn't found a single thing about Isaac's family that was unsavory. He was just a guy who liked Mabel, and Mabel liked him. She liked him enough to spend most of her Gravity Falls time with him. Dipper couldn't help but feel abandoned.

Somehow, he felt that he and Mabel were closer when they were a few hours away.

He calmed his breathing as best as he could and stood up again. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt almost glad that the summer would be coming to an end.

oOo

"Grunkle Stan," Mabel said a few days later, coming down from the attic two hours before Isaac was supposed to pick her up for the cotillion. "Can I borrow those earrings you st- borrowed a while back?"

"That was years ago, sweetie." Stan said, flattered that she remembered. "I don't even remember where they are."

"Would you look, please? They'd look perfect with my dress."

"You're too good at that." Stan said, standing up and locating a box on the bookshelf. 

"I thought we had a junk drawer for this kind of thing." Mabel said.

"We did three years ago." Stan said, digging through the box's contents. "Are these the ones?" He asked, holding up a pair of faux-diamond earrings.

"Yes they are!" Mabel said. "Grunkle Stan, you're the best. I'm going to finish getting ready, Isacc'll be here soon." 

"Mabel," Stan said as she started to leave.

"Yes?"

"We love you. You know that, don't you?"

Mabel's brow furrowed, her expression screwed into something that looked like pain.

"Uh, yeah." She said quietly before almost almost running out of the room. Stan shook his head and placed the box back on the shelf. On the shelf above him was a binder. He took it down and opened it. A hundred photo-copied pages of those familiar journals stared back at him.

Something was wrong with Mabel. And he had to find out.

OoO

Mabel spun around in front of the mirror, admiring the full effect of Wendy's old Prom dress (a vintage evergreen ballgown, which had more character than her both of her prom dresses put together) with her long, dark curls. The earrings, which matched the shimmering bracelets on her wrists, really did pull it all together.

"Mabel," Dipper called from outside. "Isaac's here for you."

Mabel took a deep breath and stepped outside, slowly descending the staircase.

Isaac, her incredibly handsome Isaac, in his tuxedo, somehow managing it not look out of place in the shabby foyer of her great-uncle's house, was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairwell.

"Oh, my goodness." He said when she reached him. "You're a vision." 

Mabel giggled. "It's good to see you." She glanced into the living room at Grunkle Stan, who was reading some book in his armchair. "I'll see you tonight." 

"Be safe, sweetheart." He said, looking at her almost seriously. 

Mabel was grateful beyond belief to finally be alone with Isaac again.

"Are you alright?" Isaac asked.

She took his hand in hers. "I am, now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is having a lovely summer! Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SORRY KIDS but tiny warning, there are some scars and some blood in this chapter, so if that bothers you, please proceed with caution.

Piedmont High School Prom was a magnificent display of silken tapestries and incense, trying its very best to portray the Arabian nights theme as best as it could. Mabel had been proud of the decorations and how lovely it all was.

But now, standing in front of Isaac's venue, Piedmont's prom was put to shame. Twinkling lights were strung from the trees on the grounds and around the house. Red and Violet lanterns hung were festooned in clusters around the grounds. It looked almost magical.

"This is beautiful," She said once they went inside.

"It's for the less fortunate," Isaac said. As if on cue, the band began to play. A soft waltz.

"Do you care to dance?" He asked. Mabel nodded her head and followed him to the dance floor.

"You seemed awfully bothered when I picked you up." Isaac said. "Was your family being...you know, again?"

Mabel shook her head. "No, everything's...everything's fine, I guess." 

"They keep hurting you." He said.

Mabel started to protest, but remembered the sharp pain in her chest when Stan had said that he and Dipper and Ford loved her...

"They keep hurting you." 

Another sharp pang. Mabel felt tears spring to her eyes.

"Mabel," Isaac said softly after a pause. "I want to show you something."

Mabel nodded again and followed him out of the room. He took her up three flights of stairs and into a room, like the attic she and Dipper shared at home.

"This venue is actually an old house, you know." He said. "After that scientist...what was his name? The one with the-"

"Fiddleford McGucket," Mabel said.

"Ah, of course. A few years ago, when he built that mansion of his own, you know the one, it's hard to miss, a few of us took the Northwest mansion and began selling it out as a venue for events like this. Not that there have been many in this small, silly town..."

He closed the door. It was almost dark in the room.

"Isaac," Mabel said. "Maybe we should...go back to the-"

"You know about this town," He said, leaning towards her, circling one of his hands around her wrist. "You know about all the strange things that reside here. All the ghosts, all the monsters-"

"Isaac, let me go-"

Isaac let go of her wrist, slipping one of her bracelets off as he went.

"Give that back-" She said, trying to step towards him, but her feet were cemented to the ground. Something was holding her there.

"So this won't surprise you." Isaac pressed on. Suddenly, his eyes flashed a brilliant blue, taking over not only his irises, but all of his eyes, they glowered at her. 

"Bill-" She breathed, her blood freezing in her veins.

"Oh, if only." Isaac said, his voice cold. "If only I had the powers that Bill Cipher had, oh, then I wouldn't have a problem at all. Then I could move on without what I needed..."

"I don't understand-"

"I have everything." Isaac said, his eyes illuminating the darkness of the room. "I'm beautiful to you, and smart and wealthy, as are all the rest of my kind, but we're..." He laughed bitterly. "We're shells, my sweet, idiotic Mabel...we can't love."

"Let me-"

"And I'm empty. I'm so empty, and there's only one way, only one heart that I've ever met that's strong enough to make the transition, from one being to another..."

"What do you want?" Mabel asked in a trembling voice. Hot tears were spilling from her eyes and cascading down her cheeks. Isaac exhaled, his breath shook against her skin. He waved his hand, a mirror appeared before her, with just enough light to let her see her reflection. She could see just how much the crying was ruining her makeup, and an ugly red line was visible on her wrist.

"I could make you anything," he said. "A queen," Mabel's reflection changed, a beautiful woman of regal beauty stood before her with a crown on her magnificent head. "A goddess," He said. Her reflection changed again. She was taller and slimmer, with longer, darker hair, wearing a crown of flowers...she looked so sure of herself. "Just give me your heart. That heart that only ever hurt you, the one that broke you over and over, that made you cry so bitterly...Give me your ability to love and I'll give you-"

"You did this to me." Mabel said. "You made me feel this way..." She thought of the pain that she had lived with for the last few weeks. How anyone, save Isaac, had been causing her so much pain. How she had felt like she couldn't trust anyone. No one else could love her, it hurt too much. His presence had been like a drug to her and she kept waiting for her next hit.

"You did this to yourself. Your heart was already broken when I met you. All that love you give away, it's a wonder your heart is still as intact as it is. Give it to me, Mabel, my darling-"

"Never." Mabel spat. 

"Fine," Isaac shot back. He snapped his fingers. Mabel felt her knees hit the floor, she looked up at the mirror again. A girl with messy curls who looked like she had been crying rivers in an old ballgown stared back at her.

"You'll wear down eventually," Isaac spat. "I know you just well enough. Or that starvation thing has always been fun to watch...that's what happened to the last one, but her heart wasn't strong enough anyway..." He laughed. "I'll see you soon, darling. See how you feel about that heart, now."

The door closed, leaving Mabel alone in the dark.

OoO

It was nearly one in the morning when Stan finally stopped waiting up for Mabel. When he woke a few hours later, Ford and Dipper had joined him in the living room. 

"Tell Mabel she's beyond grounded," He murmured.

"She's not home, Stan." Ford said. "She didn't come home last night." 

Stan sat up. "Have you tried calling her?"

"Again and again and again," Dipper said, hanging up his phone after being left at Mabel's voicemail for the nineteenth time since six in the morning.

"Okay," Ford breathed. "I don't think...I think we should call the police, let them know that she's missing, Dipper, won't you-"

Dipper nodded and left the room. The hand that was holding his cell phone was trembling.

Ford was looking at Stan's lap curiously, at the opened binder that had been there since last night.

"Stan," He asked, looking over at his brother. "Is that-"

"Photocopies of the journals. I'm glad I kept them, now." Stan explained. "And...oh, here we go..."

Ford looked over his brother's shoulder. "That was just a theory, Stan, it's not..."

"The police said that they're going to look around and- What's going on?" Dipper asked, siting on the arm of Stan's chair. "Oh..."

"An empty shell of a monster," Ford read. "It was just a theory, it happened when a few local girls went missing, they were all dating the same..."

"Looks like that kid and his family came back," Stan mused.

"Oh, God, Mabel..." Dipper breathed, standing again. "Mabel, she's with him...I knew there was something wrong with that Isaac guy, and now Mabel's missing-"

"Dipper," Ford said, trying to conceal his own panic. "Dipper, we're going to hunt this thing-"

"Where's Mabel?" Dipper asked, his voice shrill and totally panicked.

"We're going to find her."

OoO

"Your family is awfully nosy." 

The door opened. A pair of glowing eyes illuminated the room again. Mabel looked down, the light hurt her eyes.

"The police were here earlier, saying something about you going missing. It's lucky they don't know about this room. I had to do all of this pretending, so afraid about my missing girlfriend-"

"I'm not your girlfriend." Mabel said.

"Oh, I know, but if I have to pretend, you should have to, too."

Mabel shut her eyes tightly. 

"Are you ready, my darling?" He asked, kneeling before her. "You're tried and hungry and scared, I can tell. I can take all that away."

"Hard pass." Mabel said back.

Isaac laughed. "You won't last much longer in here. Believe me, I know." 

He stood again. "They can't save you, you know. I doubt they're even trying." 

Isaac left again. Mabel bowed her head and let a fresh wave of tears streaming down her face.

OoO

Dipper was sitting with his head in his hands when Stan and Ford came back into the house. The sun was beginning to set, they were about to start their second night with Mabel missing.

"Dipper, son..." Ford said. "The police searched that venue, they said Mabel wasn't there."

"Kiddo," Stan said, kneeling beside his great-nephew. "We're going to go back to that house, we've got some new information on our side, we know how to take this guy down-"

"This is my fault," Dipper said. "All of this is. If I had just...talked to Mabel when she was gone-"

"Dipper," Ford said firmly. "Dipper, that's not true. I'm to blame for this, it's my fault that Mabel felt the way she did. I'm the one who was so afraid of something I didn't understand that I shoved her away."

"She loves both of you." Stan said, standing. "And both of you knuckleheads know that." 

"That doesn't mean we've been smart about this." Ford said glumly. 

"Then we can figure this out later." Ford said. "But you're right, we can talk to through this later."

Dipper took a deep breath and followed his great uncles out of the house.

OoO

Mabel was afraid, and her hands were shaking. 

"Alright, enough is enough." The door swung open. Those eyes were back. "That pesky family of yours decided that the police searching wasn't enough."

Mabel's heart lifted. They were looking for her.

"So I've decided to take matters into my own hands..." Isaac said, taking Mabel's chin in his hands and thrusting it upward, forcing her to meet his gaze. "I thought I would let you live through the transition, but some things are more important than preserving a pretty little girl..."

Isaac snapped his fingers. A subtle blue glow started to fill the room, cascading through the doorway, through the windows that had been covered by tightly-drawn curtains. A small pain started filling her chest, her heart started pounding against her ribcage...

Mabel screamed, Isaac reached out his hand.

"You should be thanking me," He drawled. The blue light was growing brighter and brighter, the pain in her chest was blinding. "That family of yours will find your body right here. Maybe then they'll care about-"

"Don't you dare talk about my family..." Mabel gasped. "Don't you...don't you dare!"

She stood and, using all the strength in her body, threw herself at Isaac, pinning him to the ground.

"Dipper! Grunkle Stan! Ford!" She screamed, taking one of her free hands and throwing the door open. "I'm up here!"

"You little-" Isaac spat.

"Mabel!" She heard Ford's voice from downstairs.

"Ford!" She screamed. "Ford, I'm up here, help!"

Three figures appeared before the doorway. One of them ran forward and pulled Mabel off of Isaac, the two others grabbed the shell and wrapped something around his neck.

"Touch my niece again, you punk." Stan growled. Isaac kept making these choking sounds, Mabel knew his reign of terror was ending.

Isaac seemed to know that, too. His body started glowing the same color as his eyes. Mabel could feel heat radiating off of him. Isaac drew his elbow back and hit Dipper in the chest, her brother cried out...

"Mabel," Ford said. Mabel realized that he had been holding her whole Dtan and Dipper strangled her captor. "Mabel!"

He pushed her head against his chest, pulling her towards him to keep the light from blinding her.

When the four Pines family members opened their eyes, Isaac was gone and Dipper's chest was bleeding.

"Dipper..." Mabel tried to run to her brother, but the weakness from not eating for two days hit her full-force. She collapsed against Ford and watched Stan examine her brother's injury.

"It's a burn." Stan said. "You take Mabel home, we'll call the police and get a car to take Dipper to the hospital, I'll go with him-"

"Grunkle Stan," Mabel breathed, stretching out her arms. "I'm so...I'm-"

"Hey, hey..." Stan said, brushing a lock of hair out of his niece's face. "Don't you worry about us, okay?" He took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead.

"Do you think you can walk?" Ford asked her after the squad car had arrived and taken Dipper and Stan to the hospital.

"I don't think so," Mabel answered.

"Are you sure you don't need a hospital?"

She nodded. "He didn't hurt me. Not..not physically."

Ford scooped his niece into his arms and carried her out of the room. Mabel was still shaking, but at least she was in one piece. 

"Let's go home." He murmured. "We can figure everything out there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's call this a gift for waiting so long! Your kind words and feedback mean the world to me. Thank you for reading, see you soon!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Self Harm TW. Sorry about that.

Mabel's hands were shaking. She hadn't noticed until she untied the corset back of her ballgown. She slid the dress off, freeing her torso. She could breathe completely now; she filled her abdomen with air and released it slowly.

 _It's okay._ She told herself. I _t's okay, it's okay. You're safe now. He can't hurt you anymore._

She felt something rise up in her throat. It burned at the bottom of her neck and stayed there.

"It's okay," She breathed. "It's okay. You're okay."

It wasn't okay. She realized. She had been kidnapped by some kind of demon who tried to steal her heart (literally,) and her brother was in the hospital sporting a second-degree burn.

Mabel shook her head at herself and threw her gown on the bed, grabbing a pair of shorts and last year's cheer camp shirt on her way to the bathroom.

Ford sat in the living room below her. His hands were shaking.

Under an hour ago, some creature, some being with powers he couldn't even begin to comprehend, had his great-niece in his clutches. If they had been one second later, she would have died.

"It's alright," He whispered to himself. "It's alright now." He supposed he could believe that. Mabel was alive and physically fine, and Dipper had emerged with nothing but a burn. A rather small one, at that. Stanley would be with him overnight, they would reconvene in the morning.

He heard the upstairs shower turn off. His brain returned to Mabel, who hadn't stopped trembling since they had found her.

In his mind, he remembered her desperate, pleading voice calling his name as that monster tried to rob the heart from her chest, screaming for his help because she trusted him and knew that he would rescue her.

"Grunkle Ford?"

Ford turned; Mabel was standing at the bottom of the stairwell, her long, wet hair in french braids that fell down her back, the last two days washed off of the surface of her skin.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

 _Of course something's wrong._ He chastised himself. _She was just kidnapped and almost killed._

Mabel sat beside him on the sofa and folded her hands in her lap.

"No," She answered. "I just...I didn't want to be alone."

Ford felt his brow furrow. "You aren't alone." He assured her. "Don't worry about that."

"I'm sorry." Ford's gaze snapped towards his niece, who was still staring at her lap.

"I'm so sorry." She said again, shaking her head. "Grunkle Ford, this is all my fault."

"No." He said stoutly. "This is not your fault. None of this is your fault, do you understand?"

"Yes it is." Mabel contradicted. She kept shaking her head, and her hands were shaking again. That feeling in the back of her neck was crawling up her throat. It burned like bile and tears and everything she was afraid of. "All of this is my fault. I was the one who believed Isaac and went along with everything he said and didn't talk to you for years and I'm the reason Dipper has that thing on his chest and..."

There were tears streaming down her face, now.

"I'm so stupid." She whimpered. "If I had just let Grunkle Stan punch him on that first day, none of this would have happened."

"You aren't stupid, and this isn't your fault." Ford said, taking her hands in his. He was relieved when she didn't pull away. "Sweetheart, you couldn't have known that he was...that he was what he was. And he's gone, he can't hurt you anymore."

Mabel didn't say anything, she just kept crying quietly. Ford stroked the inside of her wrist with his thumbs, hoping that she could take some kind of comfort in that small gesture.

"I'm sorry, too." He said softly. Mabel shook her head. Ford's thumb caught itself on one of her bracelets on its way up her wrist. "You never take these off." He mused. "But when we found you, you weren't wearing them-"

Mabel met his gaze and untied the worn string. A single, red line met him underneath her bracelet.

"Mabel," He breathed, struggling to comprehend that tiny red scar and everything that it meant.

"It was hard," She started to explain. "For those first few years. This is from Prom night, freshman year. It wasn't all bad the whole time, a lot of it was really, really good and I had so much fun, but..." She shook her head. "The thought of coming back here was...it wasn't good for me, and I was afraid that I would come back and you and Dipper and Stan would have this perfect life built, and I was in Piedmont, trying to build a perfect life for myself. But I missed you and wanted to come back but I just..." She shook her head again. "It was just hard."

Ford felt tears spring into his eyes.

"So I just kept...I kept making excuses for myself. Cheer camp or finals or a performance. I kept avoiding coming back because I was afraid, and I think part of me knew that I had no reason to be and that I was being stupid. I wanted to prove to myself that coming back here wouldn't hurt. And then I just...I kept remembering that summer, and the apocalypse and I was so scared and it was t-too much, so once Isaac sh-showed up I j-just ran to him and..."

Mabel dissolved into tears again. Ford watched her for a moment. The events of that night played in his head again, and one hypothetical dominated every image:

If they had been one moment later, if they hadn't found her exactly when they had, Mabel would be dead. They would have found her in a crumpled, lifeless heap on the ground. Her heart would have been a new prize for that monster and she would have been farther away from them than ever before.

Ford wrapped his niece in his arms and pulled her into his lap, like she was five instead of fifteen. She let her head rest on him and sobbed into his chest. Ford held her the way the way he should have held her for years. From the moment he stepped out of that portal, he should have taken her in his arms and anchored her right there to let her know that she was everything, one of the twin suns around which his world would orbit forever.

He could have explained the portal to both her and Dipper, why it was so dangerous and what he had been doing for so long. They could have sealed and contained the rift and avoided Weirdmaggedon altogether. If he had just trusted them, if he had just put his pride in his pocket and found it in his heart to put his faith in something other than himself, everything could have been avoided.

It was too late to go back and explain everything to her then, so he had to explain himself now.

It was too late to go back and hold her like that, so he had to hold her now.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart." He murmured. "I'm so sorry for all the hurt he caused you, for all the hurt I caused you."

"It's n-not your fault," Mabel wept. Another sob racked her slender form, she placed her head back on his chest.

"You're not stupid, love." Ford told her, burying his fingers in her wet hair and stroking gently. "You're...you're everything. Half of my everything, anyway. I never told you that. I should have."

He felt Mabel nod her head.

"I should have told you about the rift, about everything all those years ago. I should have known that I could trust you, but I was scared. It's not an excuse, but can you believe that? That I was afraid?" She nodded again.

"I'm sorry." He said. He felt Mabel's arms move to circle around his waist, she was hugging him back, now, clinging to him like he was a lifeline.

"I'm sorry, too." She said back.

"There's nothing to forgive," He murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "It's alright now, my darling. It's alright."

And this time, they both believed that it was.

**Author's Note:**

> What's up, babes? I know, I already have a GF work, well, in the works, but I had this idea a few nights ago and couldn't resist. Also, cheerleader Mabel, anyone? Thanks for reading. Please leave your thoughts and kudos! Have lovely days, and thank you again.


End file.
